St Mary Magdalene
Monknash, Glamorgan
Peaceful country church where once there were monks and which remains a place of pilgrimage today.
The church stands on the site of a Celtic monastery founded by St Illtud about 500 AD, the oldest centre of learning in Britain and a place where Christ has been worshipped for over 1500 years. It is an amalgam of medieval buildings, with a notable oak roof, medieval wall paintings, thirteenth century stone carved Jesse niche and a forteenth century reredos.
In a recently restored Galilee Chapel is the finest collection of Celtic crosses and stones in Wales, outside the National Museum. Two of the crosses are didicated to Welsh kings, others to Saints Illtud and Samson. It has often been described as the Cathedral of the Vale of Glamorgan.